by Deemed unorthodox to the Catholic Church, on on April 12th 1663 Galileo stood trial for his revolutionary theory of earth revolving around the sun. This event went down in the history books as pure opposition to free-thinking, and the Catholic Church during this era is widely regarded as restrictive and corrupt. However, the Catholic Church was not entirely at fault for the widespread failure to support The “Scientific Revolution” among common people. It wasn’t clear what was being revolutionized, with natural philosophers such as Copernicus and Aristotle bringing large, ambitious ideas for the time to the public, and spiking much debate. With conflicting arguments and what seemed to be outlandish theories, many common people opted to entrusting the staple beliefs beliefs with which they have lived their entire lives. Steven Shapin, American historian and author of The Scientific Revolution, stated there “Was no such thing as the Scientific Revolution,” instead there was a widespread desire to understand the natural world. Despite this, the Catholic Church takes immense scrutiny by historians, sparking tensions between the world of science and religion ever since, showing prominence in The Scopes Trial and modern astrophysics.
Nearly 300 years after the trial of Galileo, a new major conflict arose between advocates of religious teachings and scientists, The Scopes Trial. In 1925 high school public teacher John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution, a controversial and topic and illegal practice at the time. The trial made national headlines, and the anti-evolution movement gained immense popularity and following. In the end, the Butler Act was upheld, maintaining the prevention of teaching evolution in Tennessee. Along with this, Scopes was charged 100 dollars for his crime, a small punishment for the famous nature of this trial.
In recent times, more conflict has arisen regarding this conflict in 2004, during the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School case. However, this case took a different turn, ruling that Darwin’s theory could be taught, but its gaps and existence as a pseudoscience was to be made clear. This was the first federal challenge to the teachings of evolution in U.S. history, but the anti-evolution opposition still lives on. Many modern figures of religion oppose Darwin’s theory. Pope Benedict XVI, conservative head of the church from 2005 to 2013, stated “We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God.” The conflict between science and religion still lives on, showing parallels to the events of The Scientific Revolution.
As of today, modern scientists and religious figures have worked towards finding a middle ground in controversial topics. The Catholic Church’s take on evolution involves the theory of theistic evolution, or the idea of god-guided evolution. The current pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or Pope Francis, has drastically different views than his predecessor, stating “Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.” However, Darwin’s theory of evolution proposes a fully autonomous system, with no relation to god or a higher power. Along with this, Catholics do not oppose Big Bang Theory, a very controversial topic studied in depth by many astrophysicists. Relating to this, one scientist in particular has made strides in dividing fact from pseudoscience in the field of astrophysics. Known for his narration of planetarium, Neil DeGrasse Tyson wrote Astrophysics For People In A Hurry, a short novel dedicated to describing the early beginnings of the universe, providing proven knowledge and clearly noting any controversial theory. Tyson preaches that although there may be a conflict between scientists and religious people, it is not intrinsic, and constantly works towards putting out any fires that cover bridges between the religious and scientific worlds. The conflicts that arose within The Scientific Revolution still show their faces today, but figures in both realms have fought to silence them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLGT9cjYeaQ
It is important to put one’s self in the shoes of a common person during The Scientific Revolution, and contemplate how the eruption of theories would impact their life. Is it not crazy to take on new beliefs that oppose what I have practiced all my life? This way of thinking is important in debating cutting edge scientific theories as well. In order for scientists and believers of faith to coexist, the opposition’s beliefs must be taken into account. By doing this, middle ground in the theories of Evolution and The Big Bang has been achieved, and belief that the Catholic Church opposes the free-thinking of science has been dismantled, with thanks to modern religious figures and scientists such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson.